Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-03-11
CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW
Summary Of the Work Accomplished
by the Forty-Ninth Congress.
fhe Nominations Of Delaney, TrOtter.
Greedy and Others Confirmed.
THE FoRTY-NINTH CONGRESS.

WASHINGTON, March 5.-The congress
which ended its existence at noon to-day,
has offered striking illustration of the
constant increase in the volume OF the
legislation demanding the attention of
congress which has been going on for the
last three or more congresses. More
bills were introduced in both houses,
more committee reports made, more bills
passed, more became laws and more were
vetoed than ever before. The most of
these measures were of comparative I'M
i'm Importance such as the bills granting pri-
vate pension and special relief; authoriz-
ing the erection of bridges; granting
right of way and such like but
many not only of the bills and reports
presented, bu: of the laws enacted, were
of general interest and Importance. A
number of the bills enacted into laws
were old and familiar claims for leg
islative favor. In this category being
the presidential succession bill, the cleo
torai count bill, the inter state com merce
BILL and the bill for the relief of FItz
John Porter. The 49th cong ress com
menced its session on the fourth day of
December, 1884, and was in session until
the fifth of August, when 1t adjourned
until December 9Th, ana continued in ses-
sion until its close TO day, covering a
total period of ten months and twenty
ak days OF the time the senate was in
session 22i days, and the house 25l
days.
ELLIS AND RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED.
There were introduced in the house
during this time, ! ,25S bills and 263 joint
resolutions, on which over 5000 reports
were made, being several thousands more
bills and over Il thousand more reports
than were made in the 4Sth congress,
which had in it's turn beaten the record.
In the senate there were introduced 1857
bills, and lis joint resolutions, on which
1878 written reports were made, being
upwards of 500 more bills and over 400
reports than on record, thus breaking
the record of the 4Sth congress.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF LAWS ENACTED
was approximately 1,431, of which 1,09 )
originated in the house and 1873 n the
senate; 264 of these became laws
by the expiration of the constitu-
tional ten days Limitations; so bills
failed to become laws owing to the ad-
journment of congress-nine of them at
the close of the first session.
THERE WE'RE 1872 BILLS
vetoed by the president, or 81 more in
stances of the exercise of the presiden
tial prerogative of vetoes than had o.
cursed from the foundation of the gov
eminent down to the beginning of this
congress. OF the vetoed bills "a origin
ated ia the house and 80 in the senate.
But one private bill that granting pen
sion to Joseph II. Romesir, and one pub-
lie bill namely that providing for the
erection of government building at
Dayton, Ohio, succeeded in passing both
houses over the presidents veto, although
several others obtained their q vote in
the senate only to and in the house.
TIE DEATH RATE
of this congress was also an extraordin
airy one, comprising the unprecedented
number of thirteen in the house and
senate.
But one election case was decided by
the house against the sitting member
This congress was characterized by an
absence of that acrimonious discussion
which such contests usually awaken. The
Rhode Island case of Page VS.. Pierce, in
which the house decided that neither
party was entitled to the seat, and new
election was ordered, is the one instance
of seat being taken from sitting
member.
or tAe 1853 house bills which became
laws 275 we're of a moe or less public
nature. OF the remaining 77S bills,
granting pensions of relief to specially
designated persons, 156 became laws
without the approval of the president.
The following is
LIST OF THE MORE IMPORTANT HOUSE BILLS
which have become laws: To forfeit the
Atlantic d Pacific land grant; to increase
the pension of widows and dependent rel
atives from So to $12 per mon h; to es.
tablish certain fees for official service &c
American vessels and to amend the ship
ping laws; the Dingley shipping bill Ito
amend the Thurman aet); increase of
the naval establishments; to pension
Mexican war veterans; to impose tax on
and to regulate the manufacture, sale,
importation and expectation of oleemar-
garine; to authorize the transfer of the
High Wood tract, near Chicago, to the
United States for military purposes; to
protect homestead settlers within railroad
limits; to enable national banking asso-
Citations to increase their capital stock
and change their name and location; for
the construction of congressional library
building; to forfeit the New Orleans,
Baton Rouge & Vicksburg railroad
Back land grant; to reduce the fees
on domestic money orders for sums less
than five dollars; to make allowances for
clerk hire to postmasters of the first and
second classes to cover the cost of cleri-
cal labor on the money order business; to
extend the Immediate delivery
system; to prohibit the passage of local
or special laws in the territories; max
ing an appropriation for additional
barracks at the southern, northwestern
and western branches of the national sol
diers home; to provide for the closing up
c. the business of the court of Alabama
claims; to establish additional life saving
stations; extending the FREQ delivery sys-
tenn to towns of 10000 inhabitants; fer
the sale of the Cherokee reservation in
Arkansas; to amend the statutes so as to
require breweries to give bonds for threee
times Sheir estimated monthly tax; for
the allowance OF the 4th of July claims
reported by the accounting officers of the
treasury department; one bill Cor each of
the two sessions for the issue of postal
notes in sums less than So; to validate
the general laws of Dakota; regarding the
incorporation of insurance companies; to
cavalry and light artillery; to provide for
inspection of tobacco, cigars and snuff;
to repeal section 3l51 of the revised stat,
utes; to restrict the ownership of lands
in the territories to American citizens: to
prohibit government employees from hir-
ing or contracting out the labor of Uni
ted states prisoners; to amend the act
prohibiting the importation and i'm
migration of foreigners under labor oon-
tracts; amsndstery of the act div ding
Illinois into judicial districts an d provid
ing ior the holding of terms of court In
Pennsylvania; to contested elections; the
senate resolution retaliation bill; author
izing an investigation of books, methods
and accounts of the Pacific railroad. OF
the total number of
BILLS WHICH PASSED THE SENATE
$40 bee ,ms laws, including lis of pub
nc and zoo of strictly private nature.
The following is list of the more i'm
portapt senate bills placed on the statute
books By the present congress: The
presidential succession bill devolving the
heirship of the presidency upon members
of the cabine. in the event of a vacancy
In tho office Of president and vice pr.si
dent; the Cullom Reagan bill to regulate
izlnG the transmission of weather re.
ports through the mails free of postage;
to increase the pension for loss of an
arm or leg; to indemnify the Chinese for
losses sustained by the Rock Springs,
Interstate commences; for the retirement
and recoinage of the trade dollar; the